A little more than a month after receiving a nearly $500 million contract for construction of the sixth National Security Cutter (NSC), Huntington Ingalls Industries [HII] on Friday said it has been awarded a $76.8 million contract to purchase long-lead materials for the seventh NSC.
“This advance procurement contract allows us to maintain production line and supplier base momentum while we prepare for the ship construction contract,” Jim French, NSC program manager at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division, said in a statement. “Advance procurement funding helps us procure equipment and materials at favorable prices from our suppliers, and it keeps their production line flowing as well.”
The 418-foot Kimball (WMSL 756) will be built at HII’s facilities in Pascagoula, Miss. The company has delivered three of the planned eight NSCs to be built. The fourth cutter, Hamilton (WMSL 753), is slated to be delivered later this year.
In late April, the Coast Guard awarded HII a $487.1 million contract for construction of the sixth cutter, the Munro (WMSL 755).